Michael Brissenden presents AM Monday to Friday from 8:00am on ABC Local Radio and 7:10am on Radio National. Join Elizabeth Jackson for the Saturday edition at 8am on Local Radio and 7am on Radio National.

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Tuesday 2 January 2007

AM is Australia's most informative morning current affairs. It covers the stories each morning that the other current affairs teams follow for the rest of the day. Below is the program summary with links to transcripts and audio (if available).

US death toll in Iraq hits 3,000

In the United States President George Bush has yet to come up with a new strategy for Iraq. While the headlines have been dominated by the execution of Saddam Hussein, the number of American dead has climbed to over 3,000, with the deaths of two soldiers killed in an explosion in Iraq's Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. The grim new milestone will put added pressure on a President who's been meeting with his war cabinet at his ranch in Texas over the Christmas-New Year break.

Government pushes for bi-lateral child abduction agreement

More than 500 children have been illegally taken from Australia over the past six years, usually by one of their parents. The number of stolen children could be much higher, because the Federal Government only tracks those taken to countries that are signatories to an international agreement on child abduction.

Githabul people to secure major native title agreement

After a decade of negotiations and legal wrangling, an Aboriginal group and the New South Wales Government are just weeks away from signing off on the state's biggest native title deal. The Indigenous Land Use Agreement will cover parts of the 6,000 square kilometre area in the northeast of the state. It will give the Githabul people a joint managerial control of World Heritage Listed national parks and control over future development on some areas of crown and leasehold land.

Catholic group wins pregnancy counselling contract

The Federal Government has awarded part of a $51-million pregnancy counselling contract to the health and welfare arm of the Catholic Church, known as the Centacare group. Prime Minister John Howard last year announced a four-year scheme to offer pregnancy support counselling through a new Medicare payment and a 24-hour, seven day a week telephone help line for women, their partners and their families.

Romania and Bulgaria join the EU

In Romania and Bulgaria they're still nursing hangovers after wild celebrations greeted both nations' entry into the European Union. It brings the total to 27 countries. Thousands of people have already made use of relaxed travel restrictions that came in at the stroke of midnight.

Bootleg Russian vodka kills thousands

While the poisoning of a former Russian spy in London has made headlines across the world, in Russia another kind of poisoning has gained the attention of the authorities. Thousands of Russians have died over the past year and many more have become very ill after drinking bootleg vodka laced with industrial spirit. It's prompted some lawmakers in Russia to suggest the state should once again take over the multi-billion dollar alcohol industry to ensure the quality of the country's favourite tipple.

Deportation of Swedish-Australian man to be raised with UN

The case of an Australian-raised man deported to Sweden is being raised with the United Nations. Thirty-three-year-old Stefan Nystrom arrived in Sweden on Saturday. He'd been deported after the High Court upheld Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone's decision to cancel his visa because of his extensive criminal history. Mr Nystrom has lived all but three weeks of his life in Australia.

Eye hospital to remember Bali bombing victims

This year will see the opening of an eye health centre in Bali which will also serve as a working memorial to the victims of the 2002 bombings on the island. The Australia-Bali Memorial Eye Centre, ABMEC, will be funded by the Australian Government and The John Fawcett Foundation for Humanitarian Projects. The Foundation currently helps an estimated 20,000 people every year.

Australia and England prepare for final Ashes test

Australia and England head onto the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground this morning for the fifth and final test of the Ashes series. It's been a disappointing tour for the English team, which will be desperate not to be the first since 1921 to go down five-nil. The thousands of barmy army supporters are vowing to keep their spirits high as they prepare for this, their last hurrah.